The present invention relates generally to an air management system for transporting air. In one aspect, it relates to an apparatus and method for receiving and distributing air in order to pneumatically control certain mechanical components of a vehicle from within an interior area of the vehicle.
It is commonly known to use pneumatic controls for controlling the operation of various functions of a vehicle, particularly in trucks, vans, and other large commercial vehicles. For instance, pneumatic controls can be used to control the operation of brake systems, trailer releases, dump truck lifting mechanisms, air hoses, and many other systems. These pneumatic controls are generally located inside the cab of the truck or other vehicle so that the driver can conveniently control these systems without having to exit the vehicle. Because the systems to be controlled by the pneumatic controls are typically located outside the cab of the truck, it is necessary to transport the compressed air or vacuum between the cab of the truck and the systems outside the cab of the truck. Accordingly, an air management apparatus or method is necessary.
There are three general types of connections for transporting air: a pass-through air passage, a manifold air passage, and an exhaust air passage. A pass-through air passage is a simple connection from a single inlet port to a single outlet port without any splits or branches in the passage for dividing the compressed air transported through the passage. A manifold air passage, on the other hand, has splits or branches in the passage such that the air is redirected or divided from a single inlet port to multiple outlet ports. Of course, both pass-through air passages and manifold air passages can also transport air from the outlet port or ports back to the inlet port such that there is a two-way communication achieved by transporting the air between the air hoses in the cab of the truck and the pneumatically controlled systems. An exhaust passage, on the other hand, is simply a form of pass-through air passage which directly exhausts incoming air or other gases from air hoses located in the cab of the truck to the atmosphere. The need or desirability of using a pass-through air passage, a manifold air passage, or an exhaust passage depends on the systems being pneumatically controlled by the driver. In a typical truck, there are several independent systems that are controlled pneumatically, each with different requirements, i.e., certain of the systems may require pass-through air passages only, some may require manifold air passages only, some may require exhaust passages only, and some may require some combination of the three.
Prior to this invention, there has been no apparatus or method for combining pass-through air passages and manifold air passages into a single component, thus allowing a single air management apparatus or method to accommodate the requirements of all of the pneumatically controlled systems in a truck or other vehicle. Instead, different components have been used to accomplish different tasks. In fact, one practice prior to this invention has been to simply use pass-through air passages for directing the compressed air out of the cab of the vehicle, and then use additional components outside the cab to manipulate the compressed air in the required manner. For instance, in a truck which has three pneumatically controlled systems wherein the first system requires pass-through air passages only, the second system requires manifold air passages only, and the third system requires a combination of pass-through and manifold air passages, one solution has been to use multiple independent components to meet these requirements. In particular, one pass-through air passage component would be mounted in the firewall (or other exterior wall of the cab of the truck) for each system such that the compressed air for each system could be transported out of the cab of the truck. Then, individual manifold components would be mounted outside of the cab such that the compressed air which had already been transported out of the cab could be manipulated as necessary for the second system and the third system.
Although the practice of using multiple components to meet the requirements for multiple pneumatically controlled systems achieves the intended purpose, it has several disadvantages. For one, multiple components are more costly to manufacture and install than a single component. Additionally, multiple components are more difficult to install because they inherently require multiple steps. Multiple components also require more space for installation. In contrast, an air management apparatus and method that utilizes only a single component would provide the following advantages: lower cost, simpler and easier installation and maintenance, and smaller space required to accommodate the compact single-component apparatus. Therefore, a need exists to improve upon the prior art apparatus and method of transporting compressed air to and from the cab of a truck for the purpose of controlling a pneumatically controlled system located outside the cab of the truck.
An air management apparatus and method is provided for transporting compressed air to and from air hoses located in an interior area of a vehicle in order to control certain pneumatically controlled mechanical systems of the vehicle. The air management apparatus and method of the current invention can be used for many vehicle applications, but is particularly suited for use in commercial trucks, vans, and other large vehicles which tend to have numerous pneumatically controlled systems for functions like air brakes, transmissions, air homes, air seats and the like. The air management apparatus and method includes both a pass-through air passage and a manifold air passage in a single, compact structure. Specifically, the invention includes in one embodiment a base plate has mechanisms for removably attaching the air management apparatus to a firewall or other structure, and at least one pass-through air passage and at least one manifold air passage are formed in the base plate. In another embodiment, at least one exhaust air passage, which is a type of pass-through air passage, can also be formed in the base plate. The pass-through air passage receives air into a single inlet port and expels air out of a single outlet port, while the manifold air passage receives air into a single inlet port and distributes air to and expels air out of at least two outlet ports.
In another embodiment, the device for removably attaching the air management apparatus to a firewall or other structure is a pair of removably attachable retaining clips wherein each retaining clip has a first end fixed to the base plate and a second end movable relative to the base plate such that the second end can be moved between a released position and an attached position. In this embodiment, the second end of each retaining clip can have a stepped edge shaped to be releasably secured to an edge of the firewall or other structure, thus allowing the retaining clip to be moved between a released position and an attached position.
In another embodiment, a gasket can be attached to a perimeter of the base plate to create a seal when the base plate is attached to a firewall or other structure. By including a gasket, the air management apparatus and method of the current invention can have a self-sealing function to further simplify installation and maintenance.
In yet another embodiment, an air hose connector can be secured to the inlet and outlet ports of each air passage to simplify connection of air hoses to the air passages. The air hose connector can comprise a known type of connector such as push-to-connect fitting, clamps, and other connectors suitable for making a connection with an air hose.
In a preferred embodiment, the air management apparatus and method of the current invention includes multiple pass-through air passages, multiple manifold air passages, and multiple exhaust air passages. Furthermore, this preferred embodiment allows each pass-through air passage and each manifold air passage to act as both inlet and outlet ports such that air can be transported in two directions. In other words, each pass-through air passage and each manifold air passage allows two-way communication between the operator and the pneumatically controlled systems.
The invention also relates to a method involving providing a base plate having pass-through and manifold passages, selectively following air through to pass through passage and selectively flowing air through the manifold passage.